2025-26 Work Colleges Application Instructions Clean

OMB No: 1845-0153

Expires: xx/xx/xxxx

Instructions for the “Institutional Application and Agreement to Participate in the Work Colleges Program” for the 2025–26 Award Year

Submission Deadlines

You must submit a completed “Institutional Application and Agreement to Participate in the Work Colleges Program” for the 2025–26 Award Year to the U.S. Department of Education (the Department) by the applicable deadline:

New Applicants: November 1, 2024

Returning Applicants: March 3, 2025

Review Requirements

It is important that you read the “Institutional Application and Agreement to Participate in the Work Colleges Program” for the 2025–26 Award Year thoroughly before completing and submitting it to the Department. Whether your school currently participates in the program or is submitting an initial application, please review all the requirements under the Work Colleges Program as indicated in Section 448 of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended, and the applicable regulations (CFR Part 675, Subpart C) to ensure that your school is eligible before requesting an allocation for the 2025–26 Award Year.

Submit Application Electronically

You must transmit your application electronically. To access the application, login to the Common Origination and Disbursement (COD) Web Site at https://cod.ed.gov. From the ‘School’ tab, select ‘Campus-Based’ from the left navigation menu, then select ‘Forms and Waivers’ from the menu on the Campus-Based homepage.

Sign and Mail the Report

The CEO must provide an original signature on the printed form. Upon completing the report, click the link to ‘Download Form/Signature Page’ from the ‘Forms and Waivers’ page to obtain the hard copy of the completed report/signature page. The signature page must be postmarked by the applicable deadline above and mailed to:

U.S. Department of Education
P.O. Box 1130

Fairfax, VA 22038

For overnight delivery, mail to:

U.S. Department of Education
4050 Legato Road, #1100

Fairfax, VA 22033

Instructions for New Applicants

If your school is not currently participating in the Work Colleges Program, you are considered a new applicant. As a new applicant, you must also submit documentation in addition to your electronically transmitted application and your CEO’s original signature on the printed form by the November 1, 2024 deadline. Your supporting documentation must be sent via email to [email protected].

You must submit any documentation that will verify that your school meets the specific requirements for the Work Colleges Program. Although you must meet all of the general requirements, your documentation must specifically show that your school (1) is a public or private nonprofit, four-year, degree-granting institution with a commitment to community service, (2) has operated a comprehensive work-learning-service program for at least two years, (3) requires students, including at least one-half of all students who are enrolled on a full-time basis, to participate in a comprehensive work-learning-service program for at least five hours each week, or at least 80 hours during each period of enrollment, except summer school, unless the student is in an approved study abroad or externship program, and (4) provides students participating in the comprehensive work-learning-service program with the opportunity to contribute to their education and to the welfare of the community as a whole.

Your documentation must also demonstrate that the comprehensive work-learning-service program at your school (1) is an integral and stated part of the school’s educational philosophy and program, (2) requires participation of all resident students for enrollment and graduation, (3) includes learning objectives, evaluation, and a record of work performance as part of each student’s college record, (4) provides programmatic leadership by college personnel at levels comparable to traditional academic programs, (5) recognizes the educational role of work-learning-service supervisors, and (6) includes consequences for non-performance or failure in the work-learning-service program similar to the consequences for failure in the regular academic program.

Some examples of acceptable documentation are:

• School catalog

• Other school publications

• Work-learning-service program policies and procedures

• Financial aid procedures

• Academic policies and procedures

• Student work-learning-service records

• Course curriculums

If your school is determined to be eligible for participation in the Work Colleges Program, the school’s eligibility will be added to the COD Web Site and an award will be issued. The Department will notify the school by email that the award is reflected in the Statement of Account posted in the Campus-Based section of the COD Web Site. If your school is determined to be ineligible for participation, you will receive an email that will explain why your eligibility was denied.

Information about Participation in the Work Colleges Program

The Work Colleges Program is a component of the Federal Work-Study (FWS) Program.

A school participating in the Work Colleges Program receives an allocation under the FWS Program and another allocation under the Work Colleges Program. The school must set up two accounting records, one for each of these programs even if the school decides to transfer a portion or all of its FWS allocation into the Work Colleges Program. This is true even though the allocation for the FWS Program and the Work Colleges allocation are in one G5 account. When a school, at its option, transfers a portion or all of its FWS allocation into the Work Colleges Program, the accounting records for each program must clearly show that transfer.

The Work Colleges Program allocation must always be matched with institutional funds on a dollar-for-dollar basis. This is also true for any portion of the FWS allocation transferred into the Work Colleges Program. Any of the FWS allocation not transferred into the Work Colleges Program must follow the various match rates required under the FWS Program. However, those FWS match rates do not apply to funds spent under the Work Colleges Program for either the FWS allocated funds transferred into the Work Colleges Program or the Work Colleges allocated funds.

As a Work College participating in the Work Colleges Program the school must require all resident students who reside on campus to participate in a comprehensive work-learning-service program. The school may only award and pay funds under the Work Colleges Program to those students who have a financial need. The Work Colleges Program award given to a student must not exceed the student’s need. Resident students without a financial need and resident students whose need has been met must be paid with only institutional funds. This also applies to any non-resident students participating in the comprehensive work-learning-service program.

 

When a school receives an FWS allocation, even if it decides to transfer a portion or all of that allocation into the Work Colleges Program, the school (unless it receives a waiver) must spend at least seven percent of its total FWS allocation to pay students employed in community service activities. Further, in meeting this requirement, at least one student must be employed as a reading tutor for children or performing family literacy activities. Although these community service requirements do not apply to the Work Colleges allocation, if the school transfers a portion or all of its FWS allocation into the Work Colleges Program, it must still meet the requirements above. 

It is important to note that one of the purposes of the Work Colleges Program is to encourage students to participate in community service activities. Also, under the Work Colleges Program a school may use program funds to administer and develop community-based work-learning-service alternatives that expand opportunities for community service. In addition, a school may use those funds to promote the work-learning-service experience as a tool for community service-learning opportunities.

 

Students employed under the Work Colleges Program in community service as reading tutors for children or performing family literacy activities or as mathematics tutors for children must still be paid with funds that are matched by the institution on a dollar-for-dollar basis.  The Federal share of 100 percent is only allowed for those types of employment under the FWS Program and not the Work Colleges Program. All funds spent under the Work Colleges Program must always be matched dollar-for-dollar.

 

It is important to note the following information regarding the percentages for other elements that are not compensation items or community service items under the Work Colleges Program versus the FWS Program:

• Under both the FWS Program and the Work Colleges Program, a school may carry forward and carry back funds up to 10 percent of its allocated funds under either program.

• Under both the FWS Program and the Work Colleges Program, a school may receive the regular administrative cost allowance based on total compensation paid to eligible students (five percent for the first $2,750,000 spent under campus-based, etc). However, in this case you may not claim funds twice by also using the separate Work Colleges allowable administrative allowance to pay for the same costs.

• Under the FWS Program, a school may transfer up to 25 percent of its total FWS allocation for an award year to the Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG) Program. The school may not transfer any of the Work Colleges allocation to any other Campus-Based Program.

• Under the Job Location and Development (JLD) Program, a school may use the lesser of 10 percent or $75,000 of its FWS allocation for the JLD Program. Under the Work Colleges Program, there is no limit set for JLD activities. Under the JLD Program, the Federal share can be as high as 80 percent when using the FWS allocation. When performing JLD activities under the Work Colleges Program the match is always on a dollar-for-dollar basis.

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